Retort



March 22,1927. G. MCD.` JOHNS RETORT Filed Nov. 12, .1925

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 /A/l/f/Vfo/ GEORGE MCD. JOHNS,

March 22,1927.

G. MCD. JOHNS RETORT:

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 12. 1925 //Vl/"/V7'0/? GEORGE MCD. JOHNS,

Patented Mar. 22,' 1927.

GEORGE MGD. JOHNS, OF IBOCKDALZE, TEXiAS.

RETOBT.

'Application filed November 12,1923. Serial No. 674,378.

This invention relates to retorts generally and, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in retorts of the type adapted especially for the treatment of materials, such as, for instance, oil-shale, lignite, peat, and coal, carrying a percentage of volatile matter, for obtaining the volatile content or residue thereof.

My present invention has for its chief object the provision of a retort of the type stated whereby the'volatile content or residue of materials of the class mentioned may be economically, eiciently, thoroughly, and substantiall completely ldriven olf or obtained and ater suitably recovered for utilization.

In the accompanying drawings, Y

Figure 1 is a broken vertical sectional view of a retort constructed in accordance with and embodying my present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectionalview of the retort; and

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are, respectively, detail fragmental plan, front, and edge vlews, the near frame-memberin the latter view being omitted of the cellular vapor-outlet providing wall of the treating-chamber of the retort.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to said drawings, which illustratea preferred embodiment of my invention, the retort as a whole is a subst-antially vertical or u right structure of suitable dimensions an includes a body proper' or shell A comprising a base wall 1, a furnace or fire-box 2, a main front wall 3, laterally spaced side walls 4, 4, and A'an larched top wall 5 preferably of refractory brick or other suitable masonry. Disposed upon the corners of the body or structure A, are re-enforcing angle-members or bars 6, suitably xed to which. are additional anglemembers 7 for receiving the ends of lateral or cross. tie-bars 8 for rigidly staying the structure as best seen inFigure 2. Enclosing and further supportn the structure A, is a preferably structu steel frame B, which may carry' any auxiliary apparatus, as shown, suitableA in the operation of the retort, and which is referably topped with a suitable roof 9. xtendin laterally between and fixed at their en s in the side walls 4 at the rear of the structure A in a s aced vertical series, are angle-members or ars 10, for purposes shortly appearing; and disposed withinthe structure and presented rearwardly from front wall 3 midwa the side walls 4, is a flue or chamber dvids lng tile-wall 11. y

upported at its base on a bridge 12 forming part of base-wall `1 and extending vertically of the structure between the side walls 4 tothe arch 5 and u on the rear end-of wall 11, as best seen in i res 1 and 2, is an upright refractory warll1 13 com` posed preferably of carborundum plates or tile for their heat-conductin ',properties. This wall 13 is smooth and p ane upon its opposite surfaces and particularly upon its rear face and divides the interlor of the enclosure of the retort formed by the frontwall 3, side walls 44, and rear cross-members l10 into a hot-gas. flue or' so-called heatin -chamber 14 and the oven proper.

e flue or chamber 14 has communication, as at 15, at its lower end with the firebox 2, and at its upper end has exhaust or discharge for the products of 'combustion through an o en ing 16 in wall 3"'leadin to a stack 17. Ipmight here state that the iurnace 2, which ma be fired with any suitable fuel, is preferably fired by pulverized fuel land the gases generated from the retort, which are fed into the furnace through an inlet 18 from a blower-fan 19 located on frame B directly over the furnace and, in turn, connected with a suitable fuel supplyhopper 20, the pulverized fuel being dropped through a suitable mouth or feeder 21 into the suction 'of the blower 19, where it is mixed with the gas and air for combustion.

Arranged to extend vertically intermediate the-side-wallsfl, 4, rearwardly of the wall 13, is a wall C comprising a pair of oppositely disposed channel-bars or framemembers 22-22, the flanges of which are presented inwardly, and which are suitabl tied together in spaced relation by cross-ro s 23. Disposed intermediate the channels 22, is a plurality of preferably transversely corrugated steel sections or plates 24 disposed vertically in a more or less imbricated series and preferably oppositely arranged or reversed the one to the other, vas best seen in Figure 4, or otherwise spaced, to form ports or passages open to the opposite faces of the wall, the sections'or plates 24 being angularly or obliquely disposed relatively t, and suitably fixed at their ends in, the

channels 22, as best seen in Figure 1. Ask

so formed, the 'wall C may well be described as cellular in structure and divides the oven proper of the retort into a so-called treatingchamber and a vapor-collecting-chamber 26, the several open-end cells of the wall C providing continuously open upwardly and outwardly disposed vapor-outlets from the treating-chamber 25 into the vapor collectin -chamber 26.

e wall C is adjustably spaced and held from the fixed wall 13 by means of strips of asbestos or other suitable material 27 to regulate the dimensions of chamber 25 and consequently also the thickness of the layer or Stream of the material being treated or operated upon, the wall C being rigidly, but removably for repairs, replacement, or adjustment, held| and retained in the desired s aced relation from wall 13 by means of ates 28 and stay-bolts 29, which, in turn, have connection with angle-members 30 anchored to the structure by through-bolts 31, as best seen in Figure 2.

Supported on frame-work B and leading into the upper end of the gravity treatingchamber 25, is a material supplying hopper 32, and discharging or eXhau'stin from the chamber 25 for the spent materia is a preferably screw-conveyor 33. i

Closin the upper end of the vapor-col- 1ecting-c amber 26, is a plate 34, and forming the rear wall of the chamber 26 and also of the structure A is a series of plates 35 preferably covered with heat insulation material, as shown, and detachably bolted to the fixed cross members or channels 10.

Leading from the vapor chamber 26, through the plates 35, to suitable condensers, not shown, are one or more outlet-pipes 36. Of such outlets, -I here show but one, but it will be understood that more than one such outlet may be equally well provided, and that where more than one such outlet is provided, the collecting chamber 26 may be divided by horizontal partitions, also not shown, into separate chambers for separating the vapors of different temperatures drlven or distilled off from the material be- `ing operated upon or treated in chamber 25.

In use and ractice, material of the class mentioned to e treated or retorted is first Suitabl broken up intona finely divided or crushe condition, the degree of fineness or pulverization being preferably, say, twelve mesh. (The ver fine part of the material, say one hundre mesh and liner, resulting from the crushing or pulverizing operation, is screened out and utilized as fuel.)A The material in such condition is more readily lowable and acted upon by heat, with the result that, when subJected to heat, substantially complete distillation is effected, as more fully described in Letters Patent No. 1,423,527, issuedto me under dat@l of July 25, 1922. The'material, in Isuch linel divided or crushed condition, is suitably elivered into the hopper 32, from which it falls by gravity into the chamber or space 25 provided between the smooth wall 13 and the cellular Wall C. By reason then of the restricted dimensions of the chamber 25 and the peculiar construction of the chamber-forming and vapor outlet-providing wall C, the material now flows or passes downwardly through chamber 25 in a substantially continuous:

layer or stream of substantially uniform thickness to the bottom of the chamber, where the s ent material or residue is removed or dlschar ed by the conveyor 33. lVhile so flowing downwardly in the chamber 25, it is subJected to the heat of the flat smooth chamber-Wall 13 imparted thereto by the products of combustion of fire-box 2 exhausting through the'heating-chamber 14 and the stack 17, and the volatile content of the material driven off, such volatile matter findingready escape into the vapor collecting chamber 26 through the open cells or outlets of the wall C.

In such manner the material being treated flows downwardly by gravity in the treating chamber 25 in a continuous stream or layer, yet one side or wall of the treating-chamber 25 is ractically open for the escape of the educe vapors of the treating-chamber. At the same time, while the cells of the wall C allow or permit the free escape of vapors from the entire surface of the layer of material so flowing or falling in the chamber, the obliquely disposed plates or sections 24 of wall C do' not allow thematerial itself to escape from the chamber, but, on the contrary, constantly direct and hold the material against the heated plane surface or wall 13. width of chamber 25 being restricted, as described, and the column of flowable material being hence relatively small, the friction of the flat wall 13 and the cellular wall C, lus

-the successive shelf-like support atforde by the presented lower side-end portions of the obliquely-disposed plaies or sections 24 of the cell-Wall C, oppose the head or weight of the fiowing column of material as to prevent anypossible How of such line material uphill out of the cell-openings of the wall C. It will be evident also that, by reason of the corrugated and hence sinuous form or surface contour` of the successive wall sections 24 and the opposed or reversed disposition or arrangement of the several plates of the series, the material being treated, in flowing or falling in the chamber 25 and successively upon the presented lower side-end portions of the several plates 24,

In such connection, I may add, the.

shifts laterally of the chamber, that is to say, the material falling upon the crown of a corrugation of a particular plate shifts or flows therefrom under gravity into the laterally adjacent hollows of such plate, then from such hollows falls upon the crown of the next adjacent Land opposed or reversed lower plate, then similarly shifts or flows into the hollows laterally adjacent to `such latter crown, and so on throu hout the series of lates and the travel or all of the material throu h the retort,`and thus a mixing of the material is `effected as its flows downwardly, all of which actions combine in a resulting approximately complete distillation of the material being treated.

I am aware that changes in the form, "construction, arrangement, andfcombination `of the several parts of the retort may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my, invention. y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gravity feed retort, a treatingchamber including a wall comprising a series of obliquely disposed corrugated plates forming vapor outlet-providing cells.

2. In a `gravity feed retort, a treatingchamber including a wall comprisinga series of corrugated plates disposed yin obliquely parallel and opposed relation forming vapor outlet-providing cells. .1

3. In a gravity feed retort, a ytreatingchamber including a wall comprising a series of rectangular plates transversely corruvated and arranged 1n obliquely parallel and opposed relation forming vapor-outlet-openings.

4. In a gravity 4feed retort, al treatingchamber including a wall comprising a pair of spaced parallel frame-members and. a series of rectangular transversely corru ated plates supported at their opposite en s by the frame-members, said plates bein disposed in obliquely parallel and oppose relation forming vapor outlet-providing cells.

In a retort, a treating-chamber including a pair of spaced vertically disposed walls, one of said Walls being smooth and imperforate and the other of said walls comprising a series of obliquely upwardly and outwardly presented corrugated. plates forming vapor outlet-providing cells.

6. A gravity feed retort including a heating-chamber, a vapor-collecting-chamber, and an intermediate treating-chamber, the latter being separated from the heatingchamber by an im erforate wall and separated from the col acting-chamber by a second wall comprising a series of rectangular transversely corrugated vapor-outlet-providing plates.

A gravity feed retort including a heatthe secon vbeing treated, an means for retaining the ing-chamber, a vapor-collecting-chamber, and an intermediate treating-chamber, the latter being separated from the heatingchamber by an im erforate wall land separated from the col ecting-chamber by a second wall comprising a series of rectangular transversely corrugated plates reversed the one to the other and providing vapor outlets into the collecting-chamber.

8. A corrugated feed retort including a heating-chamber, a vapor-collectin -chamber, and an intermediate treating-c amber, the latter being separated from the heatingchamber-by an imperforate wall and Separated from the collecting-chamber by a second wall comprisinga series of rectangular transversely corrugated plates reversed thel one to the other and providing vapor outlets into the collecting-chamber, said latter wall being movable toward and from the irst wall for regulating the thickness of the layer of material being treated.

9. In a retort, a treatin -chamber including a fixed wall, a secon wall adjustably movable relatively to the fixed wall for regulating thethickness of the layerof material being treated and comprising a connect-` ed series of spaced vapor-outlet providing plates, and means for rigidly retaining the second wall in adjusted position relatively to the fixed wall.

10. In a gravity feed retort, a treating chamber including an imperforate fixed heating wall, a` second wal comprising a series of obliquely upwardly-and-outwardly presented (plates forming vapor-outlet cells,

wall being ad'ustably, movable relatively to the fixed wall or regulating the thickness of the la er of the, falling material second wall in vadjustedy position relatively to the fixed wall.4

1l. In a gravity feed retort, a treatingchamber including a wall comprising a plurality of rectangular transversely-corru ated platesi disposed obliquely upwardly an outwardly in a spaced imbrlcated series and each presenting a sinuous surface to the falling material being treated in the chamber.

l2. In a gravity lfeed retort2 al treating- `115 chamber having a wall comprising a pluralit?1 of rectangular transversely corrugated p ates'dispose obli uely upwardly and outin a space imbrlcated series, re-

wardly verse the one to the other, and each providv ing a sinuous surface to the falling material beingtreated in the chamber.

13. An upright Gravity feed retort for finely divided flowzble material having no definite angle of repose includin a shell and walls within the shell dividing t e same into a heating-chamber, a vapor-collecting chamber, and an intermediate treating-chamber, the wall separating the heating and treating chambers being flat and imperforate and the wall separating the treating and vapor colproviding vapor-outlets from the treating lectin@r chambers bein parallel to and chamber and retaining the material bein spaced from the rst Wa and comprising a treated in an approx1mate1y Vertical thin' l0- plurality of rectangular transversely corrulayer against the heated wall.

5 gated plates disposed oblquely upwardly In testimony whereof, Iv have signed my and outwardly in a spaced mbricated series name'to this specification. and reversed the one to the other, said plates GEORGE MCD. JOHNS. 

